Electronic device package and method for forming the same

ABSTRACT

An embodiment of the invention provides a method for forming an electronic device package, which includes providing a carrier substrate having an upper surface and an opposite lower surface; forming a cavity from the upper surface of the carrier substrate; disposing an electronic device having a conducting electrode in the cavity; forming a filling layer in the cavity, wherein the filling layer surround the electronic device; thinning the carrier substrate from the lower surface to a predetermined thickness; forming at least a through-hole in the electronic device or the in the carrier substrate; and forming a conducting layer over a sidewall of the through-hole, wherein the conducting layer electrically connects to the conducting electrode.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/160,146, filed on Mar. 13, 2009, the entirety of which isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electronic device package andmanufacturing method thereof, and in particular relates to an electronicdevice package having an upper package layer directly cured from aliquid state material and/or having a through substrate via (TSV).

2. Description of the Related Art

Photoelectric devices such as light detecting devices or light emittingdevices are important elements in the application of capturing images orlighting. Thus, photoelectric devices have been widely applied incommercial electronic and portable electronic products, such as adigital cameras, digital video recorders, mobile phones, solar cells,displays, lighting apparatuses, and so on. With miniaturization ofelectronic products, the size of the electronic device package structureof photoelectric devices is accordingly decreasing.

For conventional electronic device packaging, a package structure for anelectronic device, not only provides a connecting interface forelectronic devices and electronic elements, but also provides electronicdevices with protection from environmental contaminants, among otherfunctions. For photoelectric devices, such as a CMOS image detectingdevices or light emitting diode devices, an electronic device packagehaving at least a transparent substrate, such as a glass substrate,serving as an upper package layer to receive light for or transmit lightto the photoelectric device, must be provided to encapsulate and packagethe photoelectric device. Conventionally, for forming the electronicdevice package, an adhesive is applied on the entire upper surface ofthe transparent substrate, and then the transparent substrate is bondedon a wafer having light detecting devices or light emitting devices.However, the adhesive between the transparent substrate and thephotoelectric device may cause refraction of light, thus influencing theinput and/or output of light thereto and/or therefrom.

To prevent the input and/or output of light thereto and/or therefromfrom being influenced by the adhesive, a method using a dam structuresupporting the transparent substrate on the wafer and forming aplurality of cavities between the wafer and the transparent substratehas been developed. In the method, instead of applying the adhesive tothe entire upper surface of the transparent substrate for bonding on thephotoelectric devices, the adhesive is only applied on the damstructure. Light input to or output from the photoelectric device onlytravels through the cavity and the transparent substrate and not theadhesive with low transmittance, thus, mitigating the light influence ofthe adhesive. However, conventionally, the structural strength of thedam structure is not sufficient enough, such that cracking,delaminating, and/or bending may occur at interfaces, such as a thebonding interface between the dam structure and the transparentsubstrate. In addition, the transparent substrate used is conventionallya glass substrate, which has relatively higher costs and may weigh toomuch.

With the increasing development of the semiconductor manufacturingprocess, electronic devices are being formed in smaller and smallerdimensions. However, due to the ever-decreasing size and theever-increasing density of the electronic devices, the complexity ofdense and functional package structures of electronic devices haveincreased.

Thus, a novel package structure for improving the electronic devicepackage of electronic devices and method for forming the same isdesired.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a method for formingan electronic device package is provided, comprising: providing acarrier substrate having an upper surface and an opposite secondsurface; forming a cavity from the upper surface of the carriersubstrate; disposing an electronic device having a conducting electrodein the cavity; forming a filling layer in the cavity, wherein thefilling layer surrounds the electronic device; thinning the carriersubstrate from the lower surface to a predetermined thickness; formingat least a through-hole in the electronic device or in the carriersubstrate; and forming a conducting layer over a sidewall of thethrough-hole, wherein the conducting layer electrically connects to theconducting electrode.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, an electronicdevice package is provided, comprising: a carrier substrate having atleast an opening extending from an upper surface of the carriersubstrate toward an opposite lower surface; a filling layer located inthe opening; an electronic device located in the opening and surroundedby the filling layer, wherein the electronic device has a conductingelectrode; and a conducting layer overlying a sidewall of thethrough-hole and electrically connecting to the conducting electrode.

A detailed description is given in the following embodiments withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be more fully understood by reading thesubsequent detailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A-1D are cross-sectional views showing the steps for forming anelectronic device package in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 2A-2C are cross-sectional views showing the steps for forming anelectronic device package in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 3A-3L are cross-sectional views showing the steps for forming anelectronic device package having a through substrate via in accordancewith yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A-4L are cross-sectional views showing the steps for forming anelectronic device package having a through substrate via in accordancewith yet another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an electronic device packagehaving a through substrate via in accordance with yet another embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention provides an electronic device packagehaving a material layer directly cured from a liquid state serving as anupper package layer, wherein the liquid state material is cured to forma transparent upper package layer. Another embodiment of the inventionprovides an electronic device package having a through substrate via(TSV), wherein the through substrate via and a redistribution layer areused for forming the conducting route between an electronic device inthe electronic device package and other electrical elements outside ofthe electronic device package. The steps for forming the embodiment ofthe invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinsimilar reference numbers are used to designate similar elements.

FIGS. 1A-1D are cross-sectional views showing the steps for forming anelectronic device package in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 1A, a substrate 100 having anelectronic device is first provided. The substrate 100 has a firstsurface 102 and an opposite second surface 104. The substrate 100 may bea silicon substrate, semiconductor substrate, compound semiconductorsubstrate, semiconductor wafer, sapphire substrate, or combinationsthereof. The electronic device package of the embodiment of theinvention includes a wafer-level package. The electronic devices arefirst packaged at the wafer level and then cut into individual packages.However, in another specific embodiment, separate electronic devices maybe, for example, redistributed on a carrier wafer for a followingpackaging process, which may also be called a wafer level packagingprocess. A stacking process may also be used in the wafer levelpackaging process mentioned above to stack a plurality of wafers havingelectronic devices to form a multi-layered electronic device packagedproduct.

In one embodiment, the substrate 100 includes an electronic device 106exposing a first surface 102. The electronic device 106 may be any kindof photoelectric device, such as a light detecting device, solar cell,or light emitting device. The electronic device 106 may also be a microelectro mechanical system (MEMS), micro fluidic system, physical sensorfor detecting physical changes such as a detecting heat, light, orpressure, RF circuit device, accelerator, gyroscope, micro actuator,surface acoustic wave device, pressure sensor, or ink printer heads. Toprotect the electronic device 106, especially photoelectric devices,from being contaminated or damaged, a transparent upper package layer isnecessary to be formed thereon to provide protection and ensure lighttransmission.

Then, a material layer directly cured from a liquid state is directlyformed on the first surface 102. The material layer has a substantiallyplanar upper surface and a transmittance of more than about 90%. Insteadof the conventional glass substrate, adhesive, and/or dam structure, thematerial layer cured from a liquid state may serve as an upper packagelayer of an electronic device package according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. In one embodiment, there is no adhesive between theupper package layer and the first surface 102.

FIGS. 1B-1C show the forming of the upper package layer 108 directlycured from a liquid state in an embodiment of the invention. As shown inFIG. 1B, a fluid liquid state material 108 a is applied directly on thefirst surface 102 of the substrate 100. Due to the fluid characteristicsof the liquid state material 108 a, a coating film or a coating gelhaving a substantially planar upper surface may be formed. The liquidstate material 108 a may be applied directly on the first surface 102 ofthe substrate 100 by many different wet coating methods, such as a barcoating, spin coating, curtain coating, or spray coating method.

The liquid state material 108 a includes a polymer material which istransparent after being cured. The liquid state material 108 a ispreferably a thermosetting polymer material such that the upper packagelayer 108 cured from the liquid state material 108 a may have enoughhardness, for example, a hardness higher than Rockwell hardness of 100,and heat resistance. A suitable liquid state material 108 a may include,but is not limited to, novolac phenol epoxy resin, such as a the novolacphenol epoxy resin of CAS No. 28906-96-9. In another embodiment, thenovolac phenol epoxy resin may be mixed with, for example, gammabutyrolactone (CAS No. 96-48-0) to form the liquid state material 108 a.In addition, another additive may be added, such as a triarylsulfoniumhexafluoroantimonate salt (CAS No. 109037-75-4) or/and propylenecarbonate (CAS No. 108-32-7).

In one embodiment, a polymer material suitable for use as the liquidstate material 108 a is heated to a temperature substantially higher ornear the glass transition temperature of the polymer material such thatthe polymer material becomes fluid. Then, the fluid polymer material isapplied on the first surface 102. In one embodiment, due to the fluidcharacteristics of the polymer material, the applied polymer material isa coating film or a coating gel having a substantially planar uppersurface. In addition, the substrate 100 may be placed on a rotatableplate. By using a method similar to spin coating, the polymer material(liquid state material 108 a) may cover the first surface 102 evenly andhave a substantially planar upper surface. Because the polymer materialmay still have a specific viscosity even at a temperature higher thanits glass transition temperature, the polymer material (liquid statematerial 108 a) does not flow away from the first surface 102completely. However, a blocking structure (not shown) may be formed onthe peripheral region of the first surface 102 of the substrate 100 toprevent the liquid state material 108 a from flowing away before beingcured. Alternatively, a blocking structure (not shown) may be formed onthe rotatable plate supporting the substrate 100 and surrounding thesubstrate 100. In addition, a suitable solvent may be added into theliquid state material 108 a to adjust fluid characteristic.

Then, the liquid state material 108 a may be irradiated by, for example,an ultraviolet ray to cause cross-linking to occur in the liquid statematerial 108 a. The liquid state material 108 a is thus cured into asolid state thereafter and forms the upper package layer 108 as shown inFIG. 1C. The cured upper package layer 108 has a substantially planarupper surface. In one embodiment, the upper package layer 108 directlycured from the liquid state material has a thickness larger than about10 μm, preferably between about 1 μm and 5 μm. In addition, the curedupper package layer formed by the method mentioned above has a lowercoefficient of thermal expansion, thus ensuring reliability andstability of the electronic device package.

In the embodiments mentioned above, the upper package layer 108 has asubstantially planar upper surface, wherein the “substantially planar”means that a distance between a highest position and a lowest positionof the upper surface of the upper package layer 108 is very smallwithout influencing the input and/or output of light thereto and/ortherefrom. For example, in one embodiment, the distance between thehighest position and the lowest position of the upper surface of theupper package layer 108 is less than about 3 μm, preferably less thanabout 1 μm. However, it should be appreciated that depending on thewavelength of the light transmitted and the size of the electronicdevice package, the distance between the highest position and the lowestposition of the upper surface of the upper package layer 108 may bedifferent but is not limited to a specific range. Because the upperpackage layer 108 includes transparent polymer material and has asubstantially planar upper surface, the electronic device 106 mayreceive light and/or emit light through the transparent upper packagelayer 108 directly cured from a liquid state without refraction orscattering problems.

In addition, another additive, such as a hardener, may be added into theupper package layer 108. Other additives may be added directly into theliquid state material 108 a. Moreover, a phosphor material, such as aphosphor powder, may be added into the upper package layer 108 to adjustthe wavelength of the light transmitted into or out from the electronicdevice package. The phosphor material may not only be added into theupper package layer 108 but also overly the upper package layer 108. Forexample, a phosphor powder layer may be formed on the upper packagelayer 108. In addition, other optical elements may be formed on theelectronic device 106 or on the upper package layer 108 according to therequirements. For example, a microlens array, filter, antireflectivecoating, polarizer, dichroic filter, optical grating, optical waveguide, and so on, may be formed on the electronic device 106.

Referring to FIG. 1D, different conventional methods may be used to formthe conducting structure 114, such as a conducting bump, on the secondsurface 104 of the substrate 100. Many different conducting routes (notshown) may be formed between the conducting structure 114 and theelectronic device 106. An insulating layer 110 and a passivation layer112 may be formed between the conducting structure 114 and the substrate100. In one embodiment, a conducting bump is used as the conductingstructure 114. The passivation layer 112 may be patterned to form an endpoint contact opening exposing the surface of the conducting route (notshown). Then, solder joints can be filled into the opening by eitherplating through a patterned photo-resist or screen printing through astencil mask. A final stripping process of seed layers and/or aphoto-resist process followed by a solder re-flow process completes thebumping process. The conducting structure 114 electrically connecting tothe electronic device 106 may serve as a conductive bridge between theelectronic device 106 and other electrical elements or circuits outsideof the electronic device package. The insulating layer 110 may includean epoxy resin, solder mask material, or other suitable insulatingmaterial, such as inorganic materials including silicon oxide, siliconnitride, silicon oxynitride, metal oxide, or combinations thereof, ororganic polymer materials including polyimide, butylcyclobutene (BCB,Dow Chemical Co.), parylene, polynaphthalenes, fluorocarbons, oracrylates and so on. The insulating layer 110 may be formed by a coatingmethod, such as a spin coating, spray coating, or curtain coatingmethod, or other suitable deposition methods, such as a liquid phasedeposition, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, lowpressure chemical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition, rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition, or atmosphericpressure vapor deposition.

In the foregoing embodiments, a fluid liquid state material 108 a isapplied directly on the first surface 102. However, embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. FIGS. 2A-2C are cross-sectional viewsshowing the steps for forming an electronic device package in accordancewith another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2A, a solid state granular material 108 b is disposedon the first surface 102. Then, as shown in FIG. 2B, the granularmaterial 108 b is irradiated with an infrared ray 20 to heat thegranular material 108 b. When the temperature of the heated granularmaterial 108 b is higher than its glass transition temperature, thegranular material 108 b transforms into a fluid liquid state material108 c. Then, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, the fluidliquid state material 108 c may flow naturally or the substrate 100 maybe rotated, such that the upper surface of the liquid state material 108c may have a substantially planar upper surface as shown in FIG. 2C. Inone embodiment, the structure shown in FIG. 2B is placed on a rotatableplate (not shown) and is rotated, as well as irradiated with theinfrared ray 20 at the same time. Note that by tuning the rotating speedof the rotatable plate and the wavelength and/or the intensity of theinfrared ray 20, the surface morphology of the liquid state material 108c may be controlled to be substantially planar as shown in FIG. 2C. Forexample, during the process when the upper surface of the liquid statematerial 108 c is becoming planar, the intensity of the infrared ray 20and/or the rotating speed of the rotatable plate may be graduallyreduced. Thus, the fluid characteristics of the liquid state material108 c may be reduced gradually and its morphology may be fixed. Finally,as shown in FIG. 2C, an ultraviolet ray 10 may be used to irradiate theliquid state material 108 c to form an upper package layer (not shown),similar to the upper package layer 108 shown in FIG. 1C. Similarly, inother embodiments, a transparent upper package layer having asubstantially planar upper surface may be obtained by tuning the fluidcharacteristics of the liquid state material by controlling thetemperature of the liquid state material 108 c. Then, a conductingstructure may be formed by a process similar to that shown in FIG. 1D.

Embodiments of the present invention have many advantageous features.For example, because the glass substrate on the first surface 102 isreplaced by the upper package layer 108 directly cured from a liquidstate, the adhesive transmittance problem of conventional packages isprevented. Also, due to elimination of the glass substrate on the firstsurface 102, manufacturing cost and process time are reduced. Meanwhile,in some embodiments, transparency and planar characteristics of theupper package layer 108 can withstand higher environmental temperatureswhen compared to conventional package, if a transparent thermosettingpolymer material, having high heat resistance, is used as the upperpackage layer 108 directly cured from a liquid state. In addition,because weight of the upper package layer 108 directly cured from aliquid state is lighter than that of a glass substrate, applicabilityfor portable electronic devices is increased. Meanwhile, it is notnecessary anymore to use a dam structure, with poor structural strength,thus the reliability of the electronic device package is improved.

The material layer directly cured from a liquid state (or the upperpackage layer) may be adopted in many different packages. In thefollowing description, an exemplary electronic device package having athrough substrate via (TSV) according to an embodiment of the inventionis described. However, it should be appreciated that embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto.

FIGS. 3A-3L are cross-sectional views showing the steps for forming anelectronic device package having a through substrate via in accordancewith yet another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.3A, a carrier substrate 300 having an upper surface 302 and an oppositelower surface 304 is provided. The carrier substrate 300 may include asilicon substrate, semiconductor substrate, compound semiconductorsubstrate, semiconductor wafer, sapphire substrate, or combinationsthereof.

Then, at least a cavity 306 is formed from the upper surface 302. Itshould be appreciated that in a preferable embodiment, the carriersubstrate 300 is preferably a silicon wafer having a plurality ofcavities 306 formed therein. A plurality of electronic devices may bedisposed in the cavity, followed by packaging and cutting processes,before obtaining a plurality of electronic device packages. The cavity306 may be formed by, for example, a photolithography and etchingprocess.

Referring to FIG. 3B, an electronic device 308, for example a chip,having a conducting electrode is disposed in the cavity 306. Forexample, the electronic device 308 may be fixed on a bottom portion ofthe cavity 306 by, but is not limited to, an adhesive layer 314. In theembodiment, the electronic device 308 has a conducting electrode 310 andis covered by an upper package layer 312, wherein the upper packagelayer 312 overlies the conducting electrode 310. The conductingelectrode 310 may serve as a conducting route between electronic devicesin the electronic device 308 and the electronic device package. Theconducting electrode 310 may be a portion of the interconnections of theelectronic device. The electronic device in the electronic device 308may include, but is not limited to, a micro electro mechanical system(MEMS), micro fluidic system, physical sensor for detecting physicalchanges such as detecting heat, light, or pressure, RF circuit device,accelerator, gyroscope, micro actuator, surface acoustic wave device,pressure sensor, light detecting device, light emitting device, or inkprinter heads. The upper package layer 312 may protect the electronicdevices in the electronic device 308. When the electronic device is aphotoelectric device, such as a light emitting diode device, lightdetecting device, and/or photovoltaic cell, it is preferable to use atransparent material layer as the upper package layer 312. For example,the upper package layer 312 may adopt the upper package layer directlycured from a liquid state, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1C.In another embodiment, the upper package layer 312 directly cured fromthe liquid state material has a substantially planar upper surface and atransmittance of more than about 90%. In yet another embodiment, thereis no adhesive between the upper package layer 312 and the electronicdevice 308.

As shown in FIG. 3C, a filling layer 316 is then formed overlying thecarrier substrate 300. The filling layer 316 fills the cavity 306 andsurrounds the electronic device 308. The material of the filling layer316 may include, for example, an epoxy resin, organic polymer material,such as a polyimide, butylcyclobutene (BCB, Dow Chemical Co.), siliconresin, or combinations thereof.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 3D and 3E, the carrier substrate 300 is thinnedfrom the lower surface 304 to a predetermined thickness. In theembodiment, the carrier substrate 300 exposes a portion of theelectronic device 308 and a lower surface 304 a of the carrier substrate300. Referring to FIG. 3D, to successfully proceed with the thinningprocess of the carrier substrate 300 and subsequent processes, it ispreferable to fix the carrier substrate 300 on a recyclable temporarysubstrate 318. In one embodiment, a removable adhesive layer 320 may beapplied on the carrier substrate 300 or/and the temporary substrate 318.Then, the carrier substrate 300 may be bonded with the temporarysubstrate 318 by the removable adhesive layer 320. The removableadhesive layer 320 may include, for example, a removable adhesive orremovable adhesive tap. The removable adhesive includes, for example, anadhesive which can be removed after being heated, irradiated with light,or washed by solvents.

Referring to FIG. 3E, using the temporary substrate 318 as a support,the carrier substrate 300 is thinned from the lower surface 304 to apredetermined thickness to expose a portion of the electronic device 308and the lower surface 304 a. The carrier substrate 300 may be thinned byusing, for example, a mechanical grinding or chemical mechanical polish(CMP) process. After the thinning process, a through-hole may bedirectly formed from the exposed lower surface of the electronic devicewithout the necessity of using a plurality of etching processes. In oneembodiment, a wet cleaning process may be performed to further clean thelower surface 304 a.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3F, at least a through-hole 322 is formed fromthe exposed electronic device 308. The through-hole 322 may underlie theconducting electrode 310 in or on the electronic device 308. Thethrough-hole 322 may be formed by, for example, a photolithography andetching process or a laser drilling process. In one embodiment, thethrough-hole 322 exposes at least a portion of the conducting electrode310. In the following process, when a conducting layer is formedoverlying a sidewall of the through-hole 322, the formed conductinglayer may further electrically connect the conducting electrode 310,forming a conductive bridge between the electronic device 308 and otherelectrical elements outside of the electronic device package.

As shown in FIG. 3G, in order to prevent the conducting layer fromdirectly contacting with the electronic device 308, which may cause ashort, or to prevent the material of the conducting layer to diffuseinto the electronic device 308 and influence operation thereof, it ispreferable to form an insulating layer 324 overlying the sidewall andthe bottom portion of the through-hole 322 before forming the conductinglayer. The material of the insulating layer 324 may be an epoxy resin,solder mask material, or other suitable insulating material, such as aninorganic material including silicon oxide, silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, metal oxide, or combinations thereof, or organic polymermaterial including polyimide, butylcyclobutene (BCB, Dow Chemical Co.),parylene, polynaphthalenes, fluorocarbons, or acrylates and so on. Theinsulating layer 324 may be formed by a coating method, such as a spincoating, spray coating, or curtain coating method, or other suitabledeposition methods, such as a liquid phase deposition, physical vapordeposition, chemical vapor deposition, low pressure chemical vapordeposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, rapid thermalchemical vapor deposition, or atmospheric pressure vapor deposition.

After forming the insulating layer 324, it is preferable to form a firstopening 326 in the insulating layer 324 to expose the conductingelectrode 310. The first opening 326 may be formed by removing a portionof the insulating layer 324 by an energy beam, such as a laser beam,electron beam, or/and ion beam. In another embodiment, when theinsulating layer 324 is a photoresist material, the first opening 326 isdirectly formed by an exposure and development process.

Referring to FIG. 3H, a conducting layer 328 is formed overlying thesidewall of the through-hole 322 and electrically connecting to theconducting electrode 310. In the embodiment, the conducting layer 328further extends overlying the lower surface 304 a of the carriersubstrate 300. The material of the conducting layer 328 may includemetal material, conducting polymer material, conducting ceramicmaterial, or combinations thereof. The conducting layer 328 may beformed by a physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, orelectrochemical plating process.

In one embodiment, the conducting layer 328 electrically connects to theconducting electrode 310 through the preformed first opening 326 in theinsulating layer 324. Thus, the electronic device in the electronicdevice 308 may receive or/and send electrical signals through theconducting electrode 310 and the conducting layer 328. By having theconducting layer 328 extend from the sidewall of the through-hole 322 tothe lower surface 304 a, the interconnection layout area of theelectronic device package can be increased, lowering the density ofinput and output (I/O) in a single plane. In addition, although theconducting layer 328 shown in the drawing is conformally formedoverlying the sidewall of the through-hole 322, the conducting layer 328may substantially fill the through-hole 322 in another embodiment. Then,the conducting route may be further extended to overly the lower surface304 a through a redistribution layer.

Referring to FIG. 3I, in an embodiment, a passivation layer 330 may beoptionally formed overlying the lower surface 304 a and the conductinglayer 328. The material of the passivation layer may be, for example, apolymer material. The passivation layer 330 may be formed by a spraycoating, ink jetting, dipping, chemical vapor deposition, or printingprocess, or combinations thereof. Then, a portion of the passivationlayer 330 is removed to form at least a second opening 332. Thepassivation layer 330 may be removed by using any conventional method orenergy beam. The second opening 332 exposes a portion of the conductinglayer 328 to extend overlying the lower surface 304 a, thus providingelectrical contact region for other electrical elements outside of theelectronic device package. For example, in one embodiment as shown inFIG. 3J, a conducting structure 334 is formed in the second opening 332.For example, a bumping process may be performed to form a solder ball(the conducting structure 334) to overly the exposed conducting layer328. The formed electronic device package can protect the electronicdevice 308 therein and provide a conducting route to other outsideelectrical elements.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3K, the temporary substrate 318 and the removableadhesive layer 320 are removed from the carrier substrate 300 to obtainan electronic device package in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. In on embodiment, the carrier substrate 300 is awafer having a plurality of electronic devices 308 packaged thereon ortherein. In the embodiment, a cutting process may be further performedto obtain at least a separate electronic device package. In addition,the cutting process may be performed before or after the step ofremoving the temporary substrate 318. For example, when the adhesivelayer 320 is a removable adhesive tap, it is preferable to cut throughthe carrier substrate 300 to the adhesive layer 320 along apredetermined scribe line and not cut through the entire adhesive layer320. Then, the temporary substrate 318 is removed in one step to obtaina plurality of electronic device packages. Thus, the entire temporarysubstrate 318 may be recycled for reuse. In another embodiment, afterthe temporary substrate 318 is entirely removed, the carrier substrate300 is cut to separate a plurality of electronic device packages.

FIG. 3L shows an electronic device package 340 according to anembodiment of the present invention. The electronic device package 340includes a carrier substrate 300 having at least an opening 301extending from an upper surface 302 of the carrier substrate 300 towardan opposite lower surface. In the embodiment, the opening 301 penetratesthe carrier substrate 300 from the upper surface 302 to an oppositelower surface 304 a. The opening 301 is filled with a filling layer 316.An electronic device 308 is disposed in the opening 301 and issurrounded by the filling layer 316. The electronic device 308 has aconducting electrode 310 and at least a through-hole 322, and is coveredby an upper package layer 312. A conducting layer 328 is formedoverlying a sidewall of the through-hole 322 and further extends tooverly the lower surface 304 a and electrically connect to theconducting electrode 310. As shown in FIG. 3L, the conducting layer 328provides an electrical route from the conducting electrode 310 of theelectronic device 308 to the lower surface 304 a of the carriersubstrate 300, thus increasing interconnection layout area of theelectronic device package and reducing the density of the input andoutput (I/O) in a single plane. For small sized electronic devices, themethod and the structure provided in the embodiments of the inventionincrease layout area, reducing process difficulties with limited denselayout areas and improving product yield.

FIGS. 4A-4L are cross-sectional views showing the steps for forming anelectronic device package having a through substrate via in accordancewith yet another embodiment of the present invention. Compared with theembodiment shown in FIGS. 3A-3L, where the through substrate via isformed in the electronic device, the through substrate via in thisembodiment is formed in the carrier substrate. In the embodiment shownin FIG. 4, similar reference numbers are used to designate similarelements.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, a carrier substrate 400 having an uppersurface 402 and an opposite lower surface 404 is provided. The carriersubstrate 400 may include a silicon substrate, semiconductor substrate,compound semiconductor substrate, semiconductor wafer, sapphiresubstrate, or combinations thereof. Then, at least a cavity 406 isformed from the upper surface 402. As shown in FIG. 4B, an electronicdevice 408, for example a chip, having a conducting electrode isdisposed in the cavity 406. For example, the electronic device 408 maybe fixed on a bottom portion of the cavity 406 by, but is not limitedto, an adhesive layer 414. In the embodiment, the electronic device 408has a conducting electrode 410 and is covered partly by an upper packagelayer 412, wherein the upper package layer 412 is overlying theconducting electrode 410. The electronic device in the electronic device408 may include, but is not limited to, a micro electro mechanicalsystem (MEMS), micro fluidic system, physical sensor for detectingphysical changes such as a detecting heat, light, or pressure, RFcircuit device, accelerator, gyroscope, micro actuator, surface acousticwave device, pressure sensor, light detecting device, light emittingdevice, or ink printer heads. The upper package layer 412 may protectthe electronic device 408. When the protected electronic device is aphotoelectric device, such as a light emitting diode device, lightdetecting device, and/or photovoltaic cell, it is preferable to use atransparent material layer as the upper package layer 412. For example,the upper package layer 412 may adopt the upper package layer directlycured from a liquid state, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1C.In another embodiment, the upper package layer 412 directly cured fromthe liquid state material has a substantially planar upper surface and atransmittance of more than about 90%. In yet another embodiment, thereis no adhesive between the upper package layer 412 and the electronicdevice 408.

As shown in FIG. 4C, a filling layer 416 is then formed overlying thecarrier substrate 400. The filling layer 416 surrounds the electronicdevice 408. Then, a redistribution layer 417 is formed overlying thefilling layer 416. The redistribution layer 417 electrically connects tothe conducting electrode 410 and extends overlying the upper surface402. The redistribution layer 417 may include a metal material,conducting polymer material, conducting ceramic material, orcombinations thereof. The redistribution layer 417 may be formed by aphysical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or electrochemicalplating process.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 4D and 4E, the carrier substrate 400 is thinnedfrom the lower surface 404 to a predetermined thickness. In theembodiment, the carrier substrate 400 exposes a portion of theelectronic device 408 and a lower surface 404 a of the carrier substrate400. Referring to FIG. 4D, to successfully proceed with the thinningprocess of the carrier substrate 400 and subsequent processes, it ispreferable to fix the carrier substrate 400 on a recyclable temporarysubstrate 418. In one embodiment, a removable adhesive layer 420 may beapplied on the carrier substrate 400 or/and the temporary substrate 418.Then, the carrier substrate 400 may be bonded with the temporarysubstrate 418 by the removable adhesive layer 420. The removableadhesive layer 420 may include, for example, a removable adhesive orremovable adhesive tap. The removable adhesive includes, for example, anadhesive which can be removed after being heated, irradiated with light,or washed by solvent.

Referring to FIG. 4E, using the temporary substrate 418 as a support,the carrier substrate 400 is thinned from the lower surface 404 to apredetermined thickness to expose a portion of the electronic device 408and the lower surface 404 a. The carrier substrate 400 may be thinned byusing, for example, a mechanical grinding or chemical mechanical polish(CMP) process. In one embodiment, a wet cleaning process may beperformed to further clean the lower surface 404 a.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4F, at least a through-hole 422 is formed fromthe lower surface 404 a. The through-hole 422 may be formed by, forexample, a photolithography and etching process or a laser drillingprocess. In one embodiment, the through-hole 422 exposes at least aportion of the redistribution layer 417. In the following process, whena conducting layer is formed overlying a sidewall of the through-hole422, the formed conducting layer may further electrically connect to theconducting electrode 410 through the redistribution layer 417, forming aconductive bridge between the electronic device 408 and other electricalelements outside of the electronic device package.

As shown in FIG. 4G, in order to prevent the conducting layer fromdirectly contacting with the electronic device 408, which may cause ashort, or prevent the material of the conducting layer from diffusing inthe electronic device 408 and influencing its operation, it ispreferable to form an insulating layer 424 to overly the sidewall andthe bottom portion of the through-hole 422 before forming the conductinglayer.

After forming the insulating layer 424, it is preferable to form a firstopening 426 in the insulating layer 424 to expose the redistributionlayer 417. The first opening 426 may be formed by removing a portion ofthe insulating layer 424 by an energy beam, such as a laser beam,electron beam, or/and ion beam. In another embodiment, when theinsulating layer 424 is a photoresist material, the first opening 426 isdirectly formed by an exposure and development process.

Referring to FIG. 4H, a conducting layer 428 is formed overlying thesidewall of the through-hole 422. The conducting layer 428 electricallyconnects to the conducting electrode 410 through the redistributionlayer 417 and extends overlying the lower surface 404 a of the carriersubstrate 400. The material of the conducting layer 428 may includemetal material, conducting polymer material, conducting ceramicmaterial, or combinations thereof. The conducting layer 428 may beformed by a physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, orelectrochemical plating process.

In one embodiment, the conducting layer 428 electrically connects to theredistribution layer 417 and the conducting electrode 410 through thepreformed first opening 426 in the insulating layer 424. Thus, theelectronic device in the electronic device 408 may receive or/and sendelectrical signals through the conducting electrode 410, theredistribution layer 417, and the conducting layer 428. Because theconducting layer 428 extends from the sidewall of the through-hole 422to the lower surface 404 a, the interconnection layout area of theelectronic device package is increased, lowering the density of inputand output (I/O) in a single plane. In addition, although theillustrated conducting layer 428 is conformally formed overlying thesidewall of the through-hole 422, the conducting layer 428 maysubstantially fill the through-hole 422 completely in anotherembodiment. Then, the conducting route may be further extended to overlythe lower surface 404 a through another redistribution layer.

Referring to FIG. 4I, in an embodiment, a passivation layer 430 may beoptionally formed overlying the lower surface 404 a and the conductinglayer 428. The material of the passivation layer may be, for example, apolymer material. The passivation layer 430 may be formed by a spraycoating, ink jetting, dipping, chemical vapor deposition, or printingprocess, or combinations thereof. Then, a portion of the passivationlayer 430 is removed to form at least a second opening 432. Thepassivation layer 430 may be removed by using any conventional method orenergy beam. The second opening 432 exposes a portion of the conductinglayer 428 to extend and overly the lower surface 404 a, thus providingelectrical contact region for other electrical elements outside of theelectronic device package. For example, in one embodiment as shown inFIG. 4J, a conducting structure 434 is formed in the second opening 432.For example, a bumping process may be performed to form a solder ball(the conducting structure 434) overlying the exposed conducting layer428. The formed electronic device package can protect the electronicdevice 408 therein and provide a conducting route to other outsideelectrical elements.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4K, the temporary substrate 418 and the removableadhesive layer 420 are removed from the carrier substrate 400 to obtainan electronic device package in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. In an embodiment, the carrier substrate 400 is awafer having a plurality of electronic devices 408 packaged thereon ortherein. In the embodiment, a cutting process may further be performedto obtain at least a separate electronic device package. In addition,the cutting process may be performed before or after the step ofremoving the temporary substrate 418. For example, when the adhesivelayer 420 is a removable adhesive tap, it is preferable to cut throughthe carrier substrate 400 to the adhesive layer 420 along apredetermined scribe line and not cut through the entire adhesive layer420. Then, the temporary substrate 418 is removed in one step to obtaina plurality of electronic device packages. Thus, the entire temporarysubstrate 418 may be recycled for reuse. In another embodiment, afterthe temporary substrate 418 is entirely removed, the carrier substrate400 is cut to separate a plurality of electronic device packages.

FIG. 4L shows an electronic device package 440 according to anembodiment of the present invention. The electronic device package 440includes a carrier substrate 400 having at least an opening 401extending from an upper surface 402 of the carrier substrate 400 towardan opposite lower surface. In the embodiment, the opening 401 penetratesthe carrier substrate 400 from the upper surface 402 to an oppositelower surface 404 a. The opening 401 is filled with a filling layer 416.An electronic device 408 is disposed in the opening 401 and issurrounded by the filling layer 416. The electronic device 408 has aconducting electrode 410 and is covered by an upper package layer 412.The electronic device package 440 further includes a redistributionlayer 417 located on the filling layer 416 and extending overlying theupper surface 402. The redistribution layer 417 electrically connects tothe conducting electrode 410. The electronic device package 440 furtherincludes a through-hole 422. A conducting layer 428 is formed overlyinga sidewall of the through-hole 422 and further extends to overly thelower surface 404 a and electrically connect to the conducting electrode410 through the redistribution layer 417. As shown in FIG. 4L, theconducting layer 428 provides an electrical route from the conductingelectrode 410 of the electronic device 408 to the lower surface 404 a ofthe carrier substrate 400, thus increasing interconnection layout areaof the electronic device package and reducing the density of the inputand output (I/O) in a single plane. For small sized electronic devices,the method and the structure provided in the embodiments of theinvention may further increase layout area, reducing processdifficulties for dense layout areas and improving product yield. Inaddition, an upper passivation layer 436 may further be formed overlyingthe carrier substrate 400 as shown in FIG. 4L. When the electronicdevice in the electronic device 408 is a photoelectric device, it ispreferable that the upper passivation layer 436 does not cover thetransparent upper package layer 412, so that light can successfullytravel into or out from the electronic device package.

For the embodiment having a through-substrate via in the carriersubstrate, because there is no through-hole forming process in theelectronic device, the probability for damage to the electronic devicedue to the process is eliminated. Meanwhile, in other embodiments,because the through-hole forming process is only performed in thecarrier substrate, the thinning process of the carrier substrate may beomitted or still be performed and not expose a surface of the electronicdevice 408, such as the structure shown in FIG. 5. Note that for FIG. 5,the same reference numbers as used in FIG. 4 are used to designate thesame elements.

Embodiments of the invention have many advantageous features. Becausethe through substrate via penetrates the electronic device or thecarrier substrate, conducting routes can be led to other planes of theelectronic device package, thus increasing layout area and decreasinglayout density. In another embodiment, by using an upper package layerdirectly cured from a liquid state as an upper package layer of anelectronic device package, the structural strength and the reliabilityof the electronic device package may be improved. Additionally, for anelectronic device package of a photoelectric device, the upper packagelayer can directly be cured from a liquid state to provide a desiredtransmittance.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofthe embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended tocover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would beapparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of theappended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

1. A method for forming an electronic device package, comprising:providing a carrier substrate having an upper surface and an oppositelower surface; forming a cavity from the upper surface of the carriersubstrate; disposing an electronic device having a conducting electrodein the cavity; forming a filling layer in the cavity, wherein thefilling layer surrounds the electronic device; thinning the carriersubstrate from the lower surface to a predetermined thickness; formingat least a through-hole in the electronic device or in the carriersubstrate; and forming a conducting layer over a sidewall of thethrough-hole, wherein the conducting layer electrically connects to theconducting electrode.
 2. The method for forming an electronic devicepackage as claimed in claim 1, further comprising thinning the carriersubstrate from the lower surface to a predetermined thickness to exposea portion of the electronic device and a lower surface of the carriersubstrate.
 3. The method for forming an electronic device package asclaimed in claim 2, wherein the through-hole is located underlying theconducting electrode of the electronic device.
 4. The method for formingan electronic device package as claimed in claim 1, further comprisingforming a redistribution layer overlying the filling layer, wherein theredistribution layer electrically connects to the conducting electrodeand extends over the upper surface, and wherein the through-hole islocated in the carrier substrate and a bottom portion of thethrough-hole exposes a portion of the redistribution layer.
 5. Themethod for forming an electronic device package as claimed in claim 1,wherein before forming the conducting layer, the method furthercomprises forming an insulating layer over the sidewall and a bottomportion of the through-hole and forming a first opening in theinsulating layer, wherein the first opening exposes the conductingelectrode.
 6. The method for forming an electronic device package asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier substrate is a wafer, and beforethinning the carrier substrate from the lower surface, the methodfurther comprises fixing the upper surface of the carrier substrate on arecyclable temporary substrate.
 7. The method for forming an electronicdevice package as claimed in claim 6, wherein the upper surface of thecarrier substrate is fixed on the recyclable temporary substrate by aremovable adhesive layer, and after the forming of the conducting layer,the method further comprises removing the recyclable temporarysubstrate, wherein the removing the recyclable temporary substratecomprises: cutting through the carrier substrate to the removableadhesive layer along a scribe line; and removing the recyclabletemporary substrate to obtain a plurality of electronic device packagesand recycling the recyclable temporary substrate.
 8. The method forforming an electronic device package as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising forming an upper package layer by directly curing a liquidstate material on the electronic device, there is no adhesive betweenthe upper package layer and the electronic device, and the upper packagelayer directly cured from the liquid state material has a substantiallyplanar upper surface and a transmittance of more than about 90%.